I GOT MY 1987 5.0 TRANS AM. I WANTED THIS CAR MY ENTIRE LIFE AND

NOW I GOT ONE. THE LINES ON THE CAR ARE STRAIGHT AND THERE IS A

RUST SPOT I'M CONCERNED ABOUT ABOVE THE LEFT REAR TIRE. RUST HERE

AND THERE BUT THAT IS ALL BARELY SURFACE RUST THAT WILL BE

RESOLVED VERY EASILY.


I AM GOING TO RUN THIS THREAD ON A CONTINOUS UPDATE TO LET YOU

KNOW HOW IT'S GOING. NOW REMEMBER, I BELIEVE ALL MAACO'S ARE

INDEPENDENTLY OWNED AND OPERATED SO THAT CAN GO A LONG WAY ALSO.

HERE WE GO TODAY BEING 1-17-07 AFTER DROPPING THE CAR OFF ON FRIDAY 1-12-07:

MAACO IN FLORIDA

I ENDED UP AT MAACO BECAUSE THE ESTIMATES I WAS GETTING STARTED

OUT AT $5500 (JUST TO PAINT/NO RUST REMOVAL) AND THE HIGHEST WAS

$9300 WHICH I THINK IS BEYOND INSANE . THE CAR WAS LOOKED OVER

QUICKLY AND I WAS TOLD $1200 FOR THE JOB. THE REPLY OUT OF MY

MOUTH WAS, "WELL HOW MUCH TO DO THE CAR RIGHT?" I THEN FOLLOWED

UP WITH HOW I WASN'T LOOKING FOR A $150 MAACO PAINT JOB. I WANTED

THE CAR TAKEN COMPLETELY APART, STRIPPED CORRECTLY INCLUDING THAT

PREVIOUS $150 CRAP MAACO PAINT JOB OVER THE FACTORY PAINT WITH

OVER-SPRAY ALL OVER THE FREAKIN CAR AND DONE RIGHT. I ALSO

STRESSED THAT I AM IN NO HURRY TO GET THIS CAR DONE AND THAT I

WOULD BE KEEPING VERY CLOSE TABS ON THE PROGRESSION OF THE WORK

AND BY ME SHOWING UP 2-3 TIMES PER DAY WAS NO INDICATION THAT I

WAS IN A HURRY; JUST MAKING SURE THE CARE IS BEING DONE RIGHT.

WITH THAT SAID, YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT MAACO WORKS ON

VOLUME AND HARDLY IF EVER DO YOU GET ME WALKING IN THERE WITH

THOSE PARAMETERS. <THE GUY> AS A BUSINESS OWNER IS THERE TO MAKE

MONEY BUT ME STANDING OUT LIKE I AM MIGHT BE A EGO ISSUE FOR HIM

AND WITH THAT, HOW OFTEN DOES HE GET TO WORK ON A SPORTS CAR

AND MAKE IT NICE THE RIGHT WAY INSTEAD OF THE QUICK WAY. SO IN A

RESPECTFUL WAY, IT MIGHT BE THAT I'M A RELIEF TO COME ALONG AND A

NEW CHALLENGE INSTEAD OF THE TYPICAL CUSTOMER WHO JUST WALKS IN AND SAYS PAINT MY CAR AND COMES BACK 2-3 DAYS LATER.


MISTAKE NO. 1: I COULD NOT HAVE BEEN MORE CLEAR THAT ONCE THE CAR

IS STRIPPED AND THE RUST REMOVED, I AM TO PHYSICALLY LOOK OVER THE

CAR AND SIGN OFF BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE HAPPENS. WELL THE CAR GOT TO

ONE OF THE GUYS AND THEY PUT BONDO ON THE CAR HERE AND THERE. I

WENT STRAIGHT TO <THE GUY> WHO FOLLOWED ME OUT TO THE CAR AND

HAD THE GUY WHO DID THIS STOP DOING ANYTHING ON THE CAR AND THEN

INFORMED ME HE'S GOING TO HAVE HIS BEST GUY ON THIS TOMORROW,

THAT IT WOULD BE COMPLETELY STRIPPED. I SHOW UP TOMORROW

(YESTERDAY 1-17-07) AND THE CAR ISN'T TOUCHED! FORTUNATE FOR <THE

GUY>, THE GUY WHOM HE GAVE THE CAR TO DO EXPLAINED TO ME WHAT

WAS GOING ON AND THAT HE WAS A LITTLE BEHIND. I WAS FINE WITH THAT

AND I EXPRESSED TO THIS BODY GUY THAT I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE

QUALITY OF THE JOB AND THIS CAR HAS TO BE DONE RIGHT. I EXPLAINED

THAT THEY COULD PAINT 12-15 CARS FOR WHAT I'M PAYING FOR MY ONE

CAR, I WANT THE JOB DONE RIGHT. HE AGREED IN A SENSE THAT I BELIEVE

HE'S BEING HONEST WITH ME AND GOING TO DO A GOOD JOB ON THIS CAR.

1-18-07

I SHOW UP TODAY AND HEAD BACK TO SEE THE CAR AND RED DUST

EVERYWHERE WHICH IS A GOOD SIGN FROM THE DISTANCE. THE CAR IS

BEING ATTACKED! EXCELLENT. SPOKE WITH THE PREP-GUY AND BEING A

PREVIOUS PREP-GUY MYSELF MANY YEARS BACK, I KNOW ALL THE SHORT

CUTS. THE HOOD WAS BEING DONE AND AS I EXAMINED THE HOOD WITH MY

BARE HAND, IT PASSED 95% AND VISUALLY IT PASSED 95%. THE PROBLEM

LIES AND I UNDERSTAND THIS, THE GROOVES IN THE HOOD MAKE IT

DIFFICULT TO SAND EVEN WITH THE REMAINING HOOD. THE BODY GUY AND I

ARE ON THE SAME PAGE, I EXPLAINED THIS IS NOT A TYPICAL JOB, I FOUND

MY BABY AND I WANT THE JOB DONE ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY RIGHT. I

EXPECT ON MY RETURN TOMORROW THE HOOD FINISHED TO THAT

REMAINING 5% AND MY IMPRESSION OF THE BODY GUY DOING THE WORK IS EXCELLENT SO FAR.

 

I am happy for you, but please stop using all CAPS it makes it difficult to read.

 

For those of you who also hate reading all caps:

I got my 1987 5.0 trans am. I wanted this car my entire life and now I got one. The lines on the car are straight and there is a rust spot I’m concerned about above the left rear tire. Rust here and there but that is all barely surface rust that will be resolved very easily.

I am going to run this thread on a continuous update to let you know how it's going. Now remember, I believe all maaco's are independently owned and operated so that can go a long way also.

here we go today being 1-17-07 after dropping the car off on Friday 1-12-07:

maaco
4875 34th st. north
saint petersburg fl 33714
(727) 522-3957

I ended up at maaco because the estimates I was getting started out at $5500 (just to paint/no rust removal) and the highest was $9300 which I think is beyond insane . The car was looked over quickly and I was told $1200 for the job. The reply out of my mouth was, "well how much to do the car right?" I then followed up with how I wasn't looking for a $150 maaco paint job. I wanted the car taken completely apart, stripped correctly including that previous $150 crap maaco paint job over the factory paint with over-spray all over the freakin car and done right. I also stressed that I am in no hurry to get this car done and that I would be keeping very close tabs on the progression of the work and by me showing up 2-3 times per day was no indication that I was in a hurry; just making sure the care is being done right.

With that said, you have to understand that maaco works on volume and hardly if ever do you get me walking in there with those parameters. Jim as a business owner is there to make money but me standing out like I am might be an ego issue for him and with that, how often does he get to work on a sports car and make it nice the right way instead of the quick way. So in a respectful way, it might be that I’m a relief to come along and a new challenge instead of the typical customer who just walks in and says paint my car and comes back 2-3 days later.

Mistake no. 1: I could not have been more clear that once the car is stripped and the rust removed, I am to physically look over the car and sign off before anything else happens. Well the car got to one of the guys and they put bondo on the car here and there. I went straight to Jim who followed me out to the car and had the guy who did this stop doing anything on the car and then informed me he's going to have his best guy on this tomorrow, that it would be completely stripped. I show up tomorrow (yesterday 1-17-07) and the car isn't touched! Fortunate for Jim, the guy whom he gave the car to do explained to me what was going on and that he was a little behind. I was fine with that and I expressed to this body guy that I’m concerned about the quality of the job and this car has to be done right. I explained that they could paint 12-15 cars for what I’m paying for my one car, I want the job done right. He agreed in a sense that I believe he's being honest with me and going to do a good job on this car.

1-18-07

I show up today and head back to see the car and red dust everywhere which is a good sign from the distance. The car is being attacked! Excellent. Spoke with the prep-guy and being a previous prep-guy myself many years back, I know all the short cuts. The hood was being done and as I examined the hood with my bare hand, it passed 95% and visually it passed 95%. The problem lies and I understand this, the grooves in the hood make it difficult to sand even with the remaining hood. The body guy and I are on the same page, I explained this is not a typical job, I found my baby and I want the job done absolutely positively right. I expect on my return tomorrow the hood finished to that remaining 5% and my impression of the body guy doing the work is excellent so far.

 

SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME SLOWING AND VERY CLEARLY HOW TO POST PHOTOS. I WILL KEEP THE PHOTO'S FROM BEFORE CURRENT TO THE ONGOING BODYWORK TO THE FINISHED JOB.

ALSO, I PLAN ON EDITING MY ORIGINAL POSTS WITH UPDATES SO THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO SCROLL THROUGH THE ENTIRE POST HERE AND THERE FOR UPDATES.

 

1. is make a post and go advanced , were you see the submit reply , scroll down a little more you will see manage attachments button , click that , a pop up will come up saying browes click it , then search to were you saved your images to , when you find it click on it and then push upload , you can upload a max of 3 files per post as shown in my current example of my car when i first brang her home

 

damn the caps have to go!

 

Just curious, how much is it going to cost you to have them do it the way they're doing it?

 

bandwidth waster
ne ways...im glad maaco was good to you, and even more happy to hear that they are willing to listen to the customer. i had an accident here and the estimate was like 4500 to fix it, well after i got involved it went up to 6500, i didnt like the orange peel look, made them spend 8 hours buffin it to a shine.

and maaco is usually cheap and dirty, wonder if they even use base/clear and not the urathane stuff.

 

I'm looking forward to seeing your project's progress, but you bring up a lot of falsehoods/stereotypes of body work (many of which I believed before attending body school). I'd like to let others considering a similar project know that some of the demands you're making of your shop aren't necessary of a good paint job.

No bondo? Have you been to a body shop lately? Bondo is a fact of life in the auto body world. The key is MODERATION (and I meant to put that in all caps). I'd like to see how they fit the rust patches they're welding in. There's litterally no way to perfect warpage/shrikage without a little filler. Additionally, I'd more concerned with the quality of the welds. If water/rust penetrate the joint (not impossble if the weld is ground down too thin or not properly sealed with a weld thru primer or seam sealer on the back side), the paint/bondo will bulge, bubble, then rust and the process starts all over again (that's why rust repair is $$$, especially for shops that guarantee their work) I judge the quality of the fill job by using a weak magnet around the effected area (there are more scientific methods). If it sticks consistently around the filled area, 'you done good'.

The other falsehood is having to completely strip the car before painting. In your case if you had a bad paint job done, I'd at least sand all of that off. In the case of most late model cars, you're probably doing more harm than good going down to bare metal. Most factory primers are of the highest quality, especially when it comes to the bond with the metal and general rust protection. I'd recommend going down to bare metal only if the paint is flaking off, cracked/spiderwebed, has surface rust, etc. Similar to painting a house, you could take off all the paint first, but why?

Just my $.02. Good luck with the project.

 

Id love to keep up with this thread too...but there just aint no way I can read with the caps...

Please step away from the capslock!

 

If you don't use bondo (or rage or whatever) then the car won't be show stopping straight. Macco is probably using Nason paint for that price. All the prep work in the world isn't going to make that last like a higher quality paint.

 

you can always buy the paint yourself and supply them with a gallon or so.

 

I would definitely go that route if they will not charge you for their materials if you supply your own. Then you will know you are using at least half decent quality paint products.

 

The original prices you was quoted are ridiculous. Most people are getting away with $2500 to $3500 with minor body work. Did you shop around or was that the prices from a couple of shops?

Good idea to keep an eye on your car but don't overdo it. You need just enough to let them know you are around.

 

HEADED DOWN TO THE BODY SHOP AND I'LL QUICKLY ADDRESS A COUPLE

THINGS I NOTED IN YOUR REPLIES.


NO. 1: THEY PUT BONDO OVER THE RUST. NO NO! THE ENTIRE CAR IS

SANDED AND STRIPPED. STRIPPED I MEAN NOT DOWN TO BARE METAL BUT

SUFFICIENT TO ELIMINATE THAT CRAP $150 PAINT JOB THAT WAS DONE.

BONDO HAS A APPROPRIATE PLACE ONCE EVERYTHING IS SANDED

CORRECTLY. THE FRONT PLASTIC FENDER AND BUMPER IS BEING STRIPPED

COMPLETELY OF PAINT.


NO. 2: I AM UNDECIDED AT THIS POINT IF I AM USING THEIR EURTHANE

PAINT OR I'M SUPPLYING THE PAINT AND SEPARATE CLEAR COAT FOR THE JOB.


NO. 3: I WILL ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY BOTHER THEM, STAY ON TOP OF

THEM AND I DON'T GIVE A FLYING FLIP IF THEY GOT A PROBLEM WITH

THAT. THEY UNDERSTOOD WHAT I WANTED GOING INTO THIS, I MADE IT

CLEAR I WOULD BE THERE CONSTANTLY NOT TO RUSH THE JOB BUT TO

MAKE SURE IT'S DONE RIGHT AND I AM GOING TO MAKE 100% SURE THE

JOB IS DONE RIGHT. YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER, THEY ARE IN THE QUICK

PAINT BUSINESS AND THAT IS WHAT THEY ARE ACCUSTOMED TO DO SO I

GOT TO STAY ON TOP OF THEM. I CAN'T TAKE A MCDOANLDS COOK AND

THROW HIM ON THE BROILER AT A GOOD STEAK HOUSE AND EXPECT THE

JOB DONE RIGHT WITHOUT SAYING ON TOP OF HIM.


GOT TO THE SHOP AND HEADED OUT BACK. CAR HAS NOT BEEN TOUCHED.

I WAS ABOUT TO BLOW A GASKET UNTIL I TALKED TO THE BODY GUY

AGAIN TODAY. HE EXPLAINED THAT HE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO FURTHER

TOUCH THE CAR UNTIL NEXT WEDNESDAY AND THEN HE WOULD BE FULL

TIME ON THE CAR. I THEN WENT OVER PARAMETERS REGARDING THE CAR

AND WHAT TYPICAL STUFF IS BEING DONE THAT THEY USUALLY DON'T

DO. REMOVE THE MIRRORS, VENTS, BODY MOLDINGS, REAR WING, ETC.



I'M THINKING THE ENTIRE BODY SHOP THINKS THAT WHEN I TELL THEM I'M

IN NO HURRY MEANS TAKE 2 MONTHS TO PAINT THE CAR. WHAT I MEAN

AND I'M GOING TO CLARIFY IS THAT WHEN THEY ARE ACTUALLY WORKING

ON THE CAR, TO DO THE JOB RIGHT AND IF IT MEANS TAKING MORE TIME,

THAT'S WHAT I'M PAYING THEM FOR.



UPON LEAVING, I ASKED <THE GUY> IF HE HAD A CAR DONE THAT WAS GOING TO

BE THE "SAME" PAINT JOB AS I'M HAVING DONE. A TRUCK PARKED OUT

FRONT I WAS TAKEN TO WHICH DID NOT HAVE A CLEAR-COAT ON IT.

AFTER LOOKING AT THE JOB, I HAD TO TAKE A DEEP BREATH AND ALL THAT

KEPT RUNNING THROUGH MY MIND WAS YOU AREN'T PAINTING MY CAR

LIKE THIS. EITHER THE PAINT GUN WAN'T CLEAN, THE COMPRESSOR

DOESN'T WORK WELL ENOUGH WITH THE GUN THEY USED. FEW SMUDGES

HERE AND THERE BUT THROUGHOUT THE PAINT JOB, IT LOOKED LIKE

LITTLE SPECS OF DIRT WHICH AGAIN, I GO BACK TO EITHER THE GUN WAS

DIRTY AND NOT CLEANED OR THE CAR WASN'T PROPERTY CLEANED PRIOR

TO PAINTING. OVER-SPRAY HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE.


NOW THAT PAINT JOB FOR THE $799 MAACO CUSTOMER WAS PROBABLY

FANTASTIC. FOR ME IT IS NOT. AGAIN, IT GOES BACK TO STAYING ON

TOP OF THINGS WHEN THEY ARE ACCUSTOMED TO PAINTING CARS

QUICKLY SO IN ALL HONESTY, I CAN'T SIT HERE AND BLAME THEM OR SAY

"GOSH, HOW CAN THEY PAINT A CAR LIKE THAT" WHEN THAT'S HOW

MAACO WORKS. SO AGAIN, THIS ENTAILS ME STAYING ON TOP OF THINGS

AS THE PROGRESSION OF THE CAR IS DONE.



ONE MORE THING, I WAS GOING TO REPLACE THE BODY MOLDING ON THE

DOORS AND FENDERS. TRYING TO FIND IDENTICAL MOLDING IS NOT EASY

AND I STOPPED AT THE GM SUPPLY DEALER AND JUST THE DOOR BODY

MOLDING FOR 2 DOORS WAS $145. REMEMBER THERE ARE 3 PIECES OF

MOLDING ON EACH SIDE OF THE CAR. I SAID SCREW IT AND I'M LEAVING

THE EXISTING MOLDING ON THE CAR.



I AM REPLACING THE WINDOW BELT MOLDINGS. WHY THEY CALL THEM

BELT MOLDINGS??? IT'S THE RUBBER WASHER THINGY ON THE OUTSIDE OF

THE WINDOW THAT SUPPOSED TO "SQUEEGE" THE WINDOW CLEAN

(NEVER WORKS) AS IT GOES UP AND DOWN. 2 OF THOSE WERE $84 AT

GM. I REMEMBERED THE CAMERA TODAY SO HERE'S TODAY'S PHOTOS

FROM THE BODY SHOP.

 

Nice, but dude, STOP USING CAPS! People are going to not reply to your thread if you keep using CAPS LOCK!!!!!!!

 

yea man.. the capslock is killer do not type with all capitol letters... a lot of people will keep up with this thread, just type it normal... without capslock
thanks!

 

im going to go ahead and say that i was VERY satisfied with my Macco paint job, it costed me $1480 and i supplied the paint and clear, i visited everyday to see the car to make sure they did it. it was PPG Intense Blue Pearl, it came stock on the R/T Durango's, Dakota's, and Neons. heres a few pics of it!

 

I took a car to Maaco for a 500.00 paint job. Went to pick up, runs. Left car there, went back next day, hadnt sanded before repainting. I cant remember why I left it next day. Finally I told manager, that they can spend all there money on paint, or a little more and put someone on it that can actually paint. Told him he must be embarrase trying to pass that sh*t off as a qaulity paint job, and walked out again. Came back next day to a paint job that would rival a dealer. Why would you take a car that hasnt been painted right? Leave it and let them do it over.

 

have you gotten a fiberglass aerowing? you might want to look into getting one of those at the same time you are doing all this. its worth it rather than replacing the foam one down the road later.

 

Yah, I can't read that...

 

haha hijacked thread, ppl care more about the caps than the maaco job, hes prob just doin it on purpose because he knows it pisses ppl off.



PS: shh...keep it up...shh

 

Can't wait to see it.

 

If I were Maaco you'd be driving me nuts. Everybody knows Maaco exists for budget paint jobs, not resto work. If you want perfect paint, be prepared to pay for it. It's going to cost a lot, lot, lot more than you are paying Maaco. Many times over what that paint job is costing. No matter how much you supervise the McDonald's kitchen staff, they aren't going to turn out five star gourmet. That's basically what you are dealing with.

 

I do, i cant stand the fact that he must use caps lock. In fact my anger has enraged prolly comparable to how maaco feels about messing with his damn car this long.

Glad your getting it painted correctly, but definently i mean definently supply your own paint if your gonna go this far to have it perfect, ud hate to have it chip, fade, crack in a year after all that work...

 

Exactly what I had said before I edited it...only not so nice. If a decent paint job is what your looking for, you need to go to a REAL PAINT AND BODY SHOP THAT DOES THE QUALITY OF WORK YOU ARE LOOKING FOR EVERYDAY.

p.s. nice rearend pic Stevo

 

Here is a thread on a board where guys are working on expensive cars. Some of these are $100k cars or more restored (some are not!). They are all looking for good or better quality paint jobs. Read through the post, you will see the recurring theme that 15k for just paint and sanding is pretty normal.

http://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/...gonew=1#UNREAD

 

Isnt all this extra hassle/money your going thru about the same as going to a "real" body shop in the first place.I would be afraid to leave my car there if i didnt have the confidence in the body shop to do the job the right way the first time around.My time has got to be worth something to not spend it visiting the shop 2-3 time a day.Just to make sure the work is good quality.Id rather spend a little more money at a shop with a better reputation.

 

I totally agree. I want to feel safe leaving my car to be painted.
And I agree with everyone here, that I as a store owner would be a little pissed seeing you 3 times a day checking up on your car. If I was the manager......Id give your money back and tell you to take it somewhere else!

O....AND I ALSO AGREE THAT IF I WAS A MOD.....ID DELETE THIS POST CUZ YOU CANT LEARN TO TYPE LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!

 

I agree. I have had both Maaco and custom and you get what you pay for. Actually you have a nice manager at Maaco that is letting you take over his shop, walking to the back, talking to the help, demanding when the car gets worked on, etc. Cherish him because he is rare.

MY Maaco job was a god one, not because I stayed on them, which I did from a distance but because they were good to begin with for Maaco guys.

Now the custom shop I didn't have to do much other than pay them. They were great and my car looks great. I got what I paid for.

Leave the Maaco guys alone. 2-3 times a day is way is too much. If they need that much babysitting then you might as well do it yourself.

AND LEAVE THE CAPS OFF. IT'S RUDE AND NOT NEEDED.

 

I have been a member here for a little while, in that time, not once did I imagine that grown men would be pissing and moaning so much about someone typing in all caps as opposed to lower case. While I realize there are typo ***** out there, this is ridiculous. I did not see something this petty coming.

 

Looks good, and welcome to the modern age of forum boarding. People bitch about everything.

 

I dont put up with people talking like inbred ignorant hicks or ebonics around me, it gives me the impression that I'm dealing with someone who isnt worth my time.

It's not that we've got sand in our vaginas, it's that we dont want to waste our empathy on an ignorant moron. And when you type in all caps, that's the impression you give.


And for all the time and money you're wasting over there... just take it to a decent shop. You're trying to save a buck by making these guys do the same work the other guys do, only they get paid more to do it. You're, IMO, abusing someone's kindness over there... If you want to waste their time and yours by baby sitting, you need to go to the proper establishment in the first place.

 

U4TSAF2, do you seriously go there 3 times a day? You seem to expect a paintjob that is equivalent to a show quality yet you aren't willing to spend the amoung of money for one. Not only are you completely abusing their services by going there everyday, but you are hindering the work on your car and on the cars they work on.

How would you like it if a customer of yours (assuming you work at a place where you have customers) was constantly bothering you and coming to where you work numerous times a day? You wouldn't want to be bothered that much I'm willing to bet.

Ever wonder why the estimates were at least $5000? That's because you want show quality but are too cheap to pay for it. I do have to laugh at the fact you say you used to be a "prep guy" because from all accounts, you don't seem or act that way. If you were, shouldn't you still know people in the business or at least understand the concept of you get what you pay for? You want show quality but don't want to pay it. And because of that you are abusing Maaco's business by constantly interfering with their work. I sure hope the owner of that Maaco shop wises up and sets you straight.

 

Cant wait to see it done.

 

You should have prepped the car your self and then supplied the paint if you where a prep guy at one point, Get new bumpers, thats one thing I wish i would have done before i got my car painted.

I got my car painted, while it looks good from what it was, as soon as its runing its going back and im making damn sure they do a new paint job because, its completly pissing me off on what they did and didnt do. I will be supplying paint and prepping my own car, so the only thing they have to do is do some body work here and there and then spray the car.

 

Looks like a sweet car..I totaly understand where your coming from. You want the job done right, and are willing to see that they do it. These days you almost have to. Ive had things done to my car, standing right there, watching knowing its wrong. And they will lie to your face. And with rust you want it done right.

I never let anyone work on my car unless i have to. Because for the simple fact, most shops ive been to, do the least amount of work they have to. The old saying, you get what you pay for, does not always tell the whole story.

And St.pete has some crappy ones thats for sure.

Being self employed i dont like someone standing over my shoulder either. But when they do i understand where there coming from. Once they know me and my work they lighten up.

Good luck hope they do a great job for you. Looking forward to seeing the finished product.

Sorry if i missed it...But what color are you painting it? The red its now looks pretty sweet.

Mike

 

i know it costs more, but a better job can be had if the ground fx are removed, and i will bet money there will be a little rust under them too, thats where some was hiding on my car when it was done. it looks good so far, keep us posted, and if you dont stop using caps i will come over there and break your fingers...

 

Thats very true, as i am working at people's houses day in and day out. Also my dad is the type that stands over anyones shoulder who enters my house. If i know i have a customer like that i talk to them a lot let them get comfortable and see my work, then they tend to stop hovering over my shoulder. I get judged a lot by the work i do because im a kid and i dont have the same experiance as the other guys in my field or they dont trust a kid as much. Its life...

The same thing applys here...this guy is the one that stands over your shoulder...from the sounds the owner at Maaco hasnt snaped yet so he must be keeping himself sort of calm about you and your car. That guy just needs to get you to chill.

I think a lot of the reason U4TSAF2 is getting such remarks about macco, the car, the visits is because of the CAPS LOCK. It really blows everything into proportion and makes it seem a lot more serious and threatening. Maybe thats just me, i just cant get over reading caps lock like this is a normal guy typing to us...

 

After all the bashing , I hope this kid comes back (without CAPS on) and shows the finished product. We all need to realize that if something this kid said , typed bothered you, you can always pm him or a moderator . Just don't mess up the whole thread for those of us trying to learn something about making our thirdgens purdy with all your bashing! I've really haven't been in this part of the forum much (have always concentrated on the mechanical end of things) but looks like I will be here often trying to make my thirdgen look beautiful. Its about to be painted in about a day .

 

Whatever you guys say about the original poster just understand he's
2FAST4U!! Let him type in caps cause his car is probably stressing him out.

 

This is exactly what I was going to say in my reply. You can't hold a gun to the Mcchef's head to make him turn out gormet food. High quality prep and paint work isn't on their menu! There are places that would be better suited to your budget and expectations. I'm also curious, if you had done body prep in the past, why not do your own disassembly and prep and pay a quality place to just spray it? If you do as much as you can yourself, you'll be happier with the results and save money

 

I'VE GONE THROUGH THE RECENT POSTS; AMAZING.


NO. 1: IT IS MY MONEY PAYING FOR THIS JOB. FURTHERMORE, I'M

PAYING TO HAVE THE JOB DONE RIGHT.


NO. 2: I AM ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY 100% GOING TO MAKE SURE THE

JOB IS DONE RIGHT.


NO. 3: I FIND IT ABSOLUTELY AMAZING HOW WANTING THE JOB DONE

RIGHT EQUATES TO ME WANTING A $30,000 PAINT JOB DONE AT MAACO

FOR $100.


NO. 4: RE-READ NO. 2 AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN. YOU

ONLY HAVE TO RE-READ NO. 3 ONCE.


NO. 5: THE BODY SHOP KNOWS FULL AND WELL WHAT I EXPECT, I AM

PAYING THEM TO DO THE JOB RIGHT AND I'M GOING TO MAKE SURE THE

JOB IS DONE RIGHT. I MADE EVERYTHING CLEAR AND UNDERSTANDABLE

WHEN I GAVE THEM MY CAR AND THEY UNDERSTOOD I WILL BE UP THERE

2-3 TIMES PER DAY TO MAKE SURE THE JOB IS DONE RIGHT.


NO. 6: I AM A PREVIOUS BODY PREP GUY AND I KNOW HOW MUCH THE JOB

SUCKS HENCE I'M PAYING TO HAVE IT DONE! PAID TO BE DONE RIGHT I'LL

ADD.


FOR THE POSTS THAT ARE EVEN WORTH CONSIDERING:


THE PAINT ON THE CAR IS GOING TO BE RED. EXACT CODE FROM GM.



SO NOW, IF YOU WISH TO HAVE MY ATTENTION BESIDES JIBBER JABBER,

HERE IS THE KIND OF IMPUT I'M SEEKING. NOW LET ME MAKE THIS CLEAR

AS THESE ARE EXAMPLES OF THE TYPE OF IMPUT I'M LOOKING FOR

TO HELP WITH THE ASPECT OF THIS.


EXAMPLE NO. 1: HEY U4, MAKE SURE YOU USE URETHANE PRIMER ONLY

CAUSE IT'S ABOUT THE BEST THERE IS.


EXAMPLE NO. 2: HEY U4, ALL THE BODY FILLER USED ON THE CAR, MAKE

SURE IT'S FINAL SANDED WITH A MINIMUM OF 180-GRIT AND PREFERABLE

220-GRIT BECAUSE IT CAN EASILY SHOW THROUGH AFTER PRIMING AND

PAINTING.


EXAMPLE NO. 3: HEY U4TSAF2, I WOULD RECOMMEND THEY USE A 1.4

MM TIP OR SMALLER ON THE PAINT GUN. IF YOU GO ANY HIGHER THAN

THAT, THE PAINT JOBS DON'T COME OUT AS NICE.


EXAMPLE NO. 4: HEY U4, SINCE YOUR HUMID CLIMATE DOWN IN FLORIDA

CHANGES SO OFTEN, LOOK INTO PUTTING FLEX IN THE PAINT.


NOW WITH ALL THAT SAID, I MADE THIS POST BECAUSE I FREQUENTLY

SEE THE ASPECT OF MAACO COME UP. I AM GOING TO WALK THROUGH MY

JOB DONE AT MAACO AND I'M GOING TO BE HONEST AND GIVE ALL THE

DETAILS OF MY JOB AT MAACO. ON ALL THE RESEARCH I'VE

DONE, YOU HAVE EITHER TWO OPINIONS OF MAACO... THE FIRST IS THE

GUY WHO LOVES MAACO AND THEY DID A GREAT JOB AND YOU

HAVE THE COMPLETE OPPOSITE OF THE GUY WHO WOULD HAVE HIS

2-YEAR OLD PAINT HIS CAR INSTEAD.



THERE IS NO QUESTION MAACO IS ONE, IF NOT THE CHEAPEST WHEN IT

COMES TO BODYWORK AND PAINTING. I KNOW CAUSE READ MY FIRST

POST ABOUT SOME OF THE ESTIMATES I ALREADY GOT PRIOR TO GOING

TO MAACO. SO IF I CAN GET THE JOB DONE RIGHT AND HAVE IT

DONE AT MAACO, THEN LOTS OF PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BENEFIT FROM

MY POST AND BE ABLE TO SAVE ALOT OF MONEY TAKING

THEIR CAR TO MAACO. FURTHERMORE, SINCE MY STEP BY

STEP DOCUMENTATION THEY CAN REVIEW, THEY THEMSELVES WILL KNOW

WHAT TO DO AND EXPECT FROM GOING TO MAACO.


NOW REMEMBER, THE CAR ISN'T BEING TOUCHED AGAIN UNTIL WED JAN 24.

 

You're a freakin' idiot.

Not only are you annoying the hell out of me while reading this with the capital letters, but also the way you show up at the place of business to "make sure" they do a good job. That's hilarious. If I worked for Maaco and had a yahoo like you come in, I'd refuse the work. There are enough morons out there to keep me in business with crashing or hitting people to keep me going so I wouldn't have to deal with someone like you. You're a tool. End of story. It also seems you're totally oblivious to the fact that EVERYONE IN HERE IS TELLING YOU NOT TO USE CAPS!

*e-slap*

 

Please, respect the CAPSLOCK. You've kindly been asked several times.

 

now isnt that typical generation-x for you. "i dont need you, i can find other idiots to help pay my half a million dollar morgage". if i was maaco (or any place for that matter) i would treat the customer like gold, thats Quality Assurance my friend, and youd better open your eyes up son because thats commin into effect everywhere now. theres even laws to protect consumers from rip-offs. perhaps maaco isnt the crap we always assume its gonna be, its just because nobody takes it seriously that makes it look like a bad place, but lets be honest here, just about every bodyshop and an idiot or 2, and i dont trust em for ONE second, there could be a run, somebody could be using thier hand and sandpaper to sand the bondo, ppl could be touching the steel with their bare hands, and its more common than you think.

bottom line, leave maaco alone, if maaco wasnt around, our g/fs wouldnt have a place to get thier cars fixed.

PS:u4tsaf had the courtesey to PM me and say that he enjoys pissing you off with his caps (his keyboard is broken)

 

Not only is he too cheap to get a real paint job, he's too cheap to buy a new keyboard. What's that like $25 for an ok one?

I'm outta this thread, this guy isn't the sharpest tool in the shed...

 

It is obvious he is not going to change the CAPSLOCK so we might as well drop it. We all know the amount of quality from maaco and how much it cost to do a real paint job, so we might as well stop arguing about that too.

Who knows, maybe this paint job will come out good. There is no need to flame someone on this thread. No one would like being scrutinized about going to the dollar store? Or getting Wal-Mart clothing?

The point I am getting at is some sort of paint job is better than none. Paint's only function is not to just look pretty, it protects the car. That is the highest priority. Some folks think it the other way around. That is the difference between a car enthusiast and poser.

Take it easy,
-Cale